Articles and Talksworkshop articles
Sacred Dance By Daniel L. Merchant LCSW Sacred Dance is a ritual practice by which we can engage and participate in mythical and spiritual realities. The cultures and traditions where sacred dance is practiced know it to be a source of healing and transformation. We find evidence for this form of dance in the pre-historic Neolithic paintings of the Hoggar Mountains of Northern Africa, in ancient Greek vase paintings depicting Dionysian Ceremonies, and in biblical Old Testament references, to name just a few. Click here to read full article.
psychotherapy and spirituality articles
The
Presence Of Spirit By Daniel L. Merchant LCSW For the past twenty-five years I have had an interest in the healers and healing practices of a number of indigenous groups. These healers are often referred to as shamans and their healing practices, shamanic. I am somewhat reluctant to use this terminology for the words shaman and shamanic have become popular buzzwords. This often results in trivialization, and therefore devaluation of these healers and their practices. There is evidence that this tradition may be as much as 40,000 years old, thus making it the oldest healing tradition and religion about which we have knowledge. It continues to be practiced throughout the world today, and has stimulated an interest in investigators from various fields as to what actually is happening in these healing practices. Click here to read full article
PSYCHOTHERAPY, INTEGRATION AND IMAGINATION By Daniel L. Merchant LCSW Birth, death, before, between, and after, life is a process of integration. Yin and Yang, polarities, along with all other polarities, integrated into the nonduality of the field of life, the eternal flow of the Great Tao. Everywhere we look we find this integration of life taking place. The place where I am drawn to focus in this complex integrative process is where the individual person is healed and transformed by the integration of the wisdom, meaning and insight found in the images, symbols and visions that emerge from the psyche. (When I speak of the psyche, I am speaking of the conscious and unconscious). Click here to read full article.
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